Garment drier



Sept. 28, 1937, E. E. LICHTERMAN 2,094,042

GARMENT DRIER Filed Feb. 23, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 28, 1937. E; E. LICHTERMAN GARMENT DRIER Filed Feb. 23, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 28, 1937 GARMENT DRIER Eugene E. Lichterman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Grand Manufacturing 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 23, 1937, Serial No. 127,026

7 Claims.

This invention relates to garment driers and more particularly to clamping means used in connection with such driers.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide 5 a garment drier which permits the garment to be readily secured thereto and unsecured therefrom in a minimum of time and with a mazdmum of efficiency.

Another object of my invention is to provide a clamping device for a garment drier which comprises a plurality of clamping members all of which are simultaneously operated to clamp the lower ends of the garment, when said garment is being dried.

Another object of my invention is to provide a clamping device for use with garment driers which is manually operated to simultaneously clamp and simultaneously unclamp the garment to be dried.

Another object is to provide a clamping device for garment driers which requires a minimum of parts and which can be economically manuiactured.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

In the drawings Figure l is an elevational view showing my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line i l of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings shown my garment drier generally indicated at I0, which comprises a flanged casting l i provided with a plurality of supporting legs 52. The casting ii is provided with an annular horizontal surface 53 which has an enlarged annular opening it. Formed integrally with said casting, and extending horizontally inwardly is a support l5, which has a downwardly depending portion E6 to which is pivotally secured a foot lever presently to be described. Secured to the horizontal surface l3 by suitable bolts is a plate 98 which closes the opening i l. Secured to said plate 18 and said horizontal support 55 by bolts is a bracket ill to which is fastened as by a clamp 20 an electric motor 26 which has a fan blade 22. The bracket has an extension 59a. Secured as by clips and bolts 23 to the horizontal surface of said casting is a cagelike member generally indicated at 24, which has a cone shaped top 25.

Provided in the vertical wall i id of the casting l i at the junction of the horizontal and vertical sections are six equally spaced cut cuts 26.

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Adjacent standing each of said cut outs is a pair of upears 2? formed integrally with the casting. Pivotally secured between each of said pair of ears is a substantially right angled or L-shaped 28 which ears and clamping arm indicated generally at has a portion 29 seating between said an opening therein through which a bolt 29a passes to pivotally secure said arms to said ears.

Each of the clamping arms 28 is provided with an upstanding portion 28a curved slightly inwardly as at 28bto permit the end of said arm to rest against the cage when in clamping position all as will more presently be described. The lower end 29a of the clamping arm is bent outwardly as at 2922 and is adapted to be engaged by a disc 36.

Suitably secured to the lower end of the arm as at 38 is a spring 3i, the other end of which spring is secured to the. casting as at 32.

clamping This spring normally maintains the arms inwardly in clamping position against the cage. As will more clearly be seen in Figure 3,

the lower ends 29a. of the arms extend radially of the axis of the bottom of the plate so that as they are engaged by the disc 35 they will move in unison to move the upper portions 23a of the clamping arms outwardly away from the cage.

The bracket extension I9a is provided with a threaded opening 33 and the plate i8 is provided with an opening I811.

Secured to said threaded opening is a threaded bolt 35 which has a nut 35. The bolt is provided at its opposite end with a head 35a. Loosely positioned on said bolt for vertical as well as rotatable movement is the disc 36 which is adapted to engage the lower ends 2% of the arms, when the disc is moved upwardly by action scribed.

of the foot lever 31 presently to be de- Pivotally secured by a pin 38 to the depending portion 66 is the foot operated lever 3'5 which has a yoke portion B'da adapted to encompass the bolt 34 and to rest between the head of the bolt and the disc.

The fingers of the yoke are provided with upwardly extending sections which contact the underside of the disc to move said disc upwardly against the radial arms when said foot lever is depressed. As will be seen when the post 39.

To the opposite end of the post is secured a clamp 46 which has a tightening bolt 4|.

Supported within said post in telescopic fashion for vertical adjustment is a supporting member 42 which is curved as at 43 and which has a hook 44 at the end thereof. Secured to the hook 44 is a spring 45 which supports a garment hanger 48 on which is retained a garment 47.

Positioned around the cage at points where the upper ends of the clamping arms would normally strike, are short metal strips 48 which are clamped to the wires of the cage as at 49 and which are provided with rubber coverings 50. The outer ends of the clamping arms are also suitably covered with rubber as at 5| to provide gripping surfaces.

Extending from the electric motor 2| is an electric conducting wire 52 which passes through the casting H and which is secured by a clamp 53 to the post 39. The conducting wire has a switch 54 which is adapted to open and close the electric circuit as will be clearly understood. The opposite end of the conducting wire leads to a source of current supply.

As will be seen when the garment is to be dried, the lower ends of the garment are adapted to rest against the cage, with the clamping arms positioned against the outside of the garment. Before positioning the lower ends of the garment against the cage, the foot lever 3l is depressed, which through the disc 36 moves the clamping arms outwardly in a radial direction and permits the garment to be inserted between said clamping arms and the cage. The foot pedal is then released and the tension of the springs 3| will draw the arms inwardly against the garment and thereby retain the lower end of said garment between the clamping arms and the plates, 48.

Due to the manner in which my clamping arms are mounted and actuated, it is possible to move each arm independently of the others, by gripping the extension 28a and moving it outwardly. This is of particular advantage in cases where pleated garments are being dried and wherein due to the nature of the pleats it is at times necessary to move or shift a portion of the lower end of the garment without shifting the rest of it.

It will be noted that as the electric fan is operating to dry the garment, the gust of air from the fan will fill and expand the inside of the garment and thereby tend to tension the spring 45 downwardly. This spring provides the necessary give to accommodate the pull on the garment thereby preventing any tea-ring thereof. The spring additionally eliminates the necessity of frequent adjustments of the supporting member 42, for if the garment is of shorter length than for which the supporting member is adjusted, the garment can be pulled downwardly and the spring will accommodate the difference in the length and thereby obviate the necessity of readjusting the supporting member.

It will be understood that various modifications can be made without. departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a garment drier of the class described comprising a cage, a drying device supported within said cage, clamping means comprising a plurality of spaced movable arms having their upright portions positioned around said cage, said arms having horizontally extending sections, means for simultaneously actuating said horizontal sections upwardly to move said upright poi: tions laterally outwardly of said cage.

2. In a device of the character described comprising a cage, a drying member secured within said cage, a plurality of substantially right angled members spaced around said cage and having their upright portions cooperating with said cage to retain therebetween the lower ends of a garment, means for simultaneously moving said clamping members outwardly of said cage and means to constantly urge the upright portions towards said cage.

3. In a garment drier of the class described comprising a base, a cage secured to said base, a fan secured within said cage, a plurality of substantially L shaped members pivotally secured to said base, and having their upright portions forming clamping fingers with their lower sections extending radially under said base, manually operated means for operating said lower sections to operate said clamping fingers simultaneously.

4. In a garment drier of the class described comprising a base, a drying member secured to said base, a plurality of clamping arms pivotally secured to said base, said arms having upwardly extending clamping fingers adapted to cooperate with means for maintaining the lower ends of a garment in clamping position, said clamping fingers adapted to normally rest in clamping position, said arms having radially extending lower sections, a foot lever adapted to cooperate with said lower sections so that when said lever is de pressed, the lower sections will be moved simultaneously upwardly to move said clamping fingers outwardly out of clamping position.

5. In a garment drier of the class described comprising a base, a cage secured to said base, a fan secured within said cage, a plurality of L shaped clamping arms pivotally secured to said base, means for normally maintaining the upper sections of said arms against said cage in clamping position, a foot lever adapted to be operated for simultaneously moving said arms outwardly of said cage and out of clamping position.

6. In a garment drier of the class described comprising a plurality of spaced substantially right angled clamping members having upright clamping fingers and substantially horizontal sections, support means with which said clamping fingers are adapted to cooperate, means for normally maintaining said clamping fingers against said supports in clamping position, means for simultaneously operating said horizontal sections to move all of said clamping fingers outwardly of said clamping supports and out of clamping position, and means for independently moving each of said clamping fingers out of clamping position.

7. In a garment drier of the class described comprising a base, a cage secured to said base, a fan secured within said cage, a plurality of L shaped clamping arms pivotally secured to said base, means for normally maintaining the upper sections of said arms against said cage in clamping position, a foot lever adapted to be operated for simultaneously moving said arms outwardly of said cage and out of clamping position, each of said clamping arms adapted to be independently moved out of clamping position by gripping the upper section of said arms.

EUGENE E. LICHTERMAN. 

